Ravengaze||

              Ravengaze paced back and forth. Poor Lillypaw was upset, Sedgepaw was probably off somewhere with Minnow or something, and Eaglepaw had decided to call it quits with everything. She was even starting to consider the life of a kittypet. What had his Clan become?
              Padding past crowds of cats, Ravengaze headed to the medicine cat den, wanting to check in on Larkpaw since the fox. He poked his head in, surprised to see that there weren't any cats inside.
              "Hello?" He called, walking in. It wasn't long before he saw the brown fur that he immediately recognized as Larkpaw. "Larkpaw!" He exclaimed, realizing that the tom must have been feeling better. When he got no reaction, his face turned slightly worried. Inching closer, he saw the tom's flank wasn't rising or falling.
              "Oh no," he murmured, scared that it was already too late. He ran forward, practically tripping on his own paws as he tried waking up the cat he already knew was dead. "Larkpaw, no, stay with me." He whispered, voice cracking as he realized he never got to say goodbye. Him and Larkpaw were close, and now he was taken away as well. What, did StarClan despise him or something? Oh, right. No wonder why FogClan didn't believe. His mystery meeting with Dovewing wasn't an accident, but he was starting to believe that StarClan just seemed to make things worse for him.
Touching his nose to Larkpaw's pelt, Ravengaze sat silently for a few seconds. He then padded out of the den and headed over to Coldpelt, who had finished her conversation with the two odd toms.
"Coldpelt," He started, looking at her. " I'm thinking of leaving the Clan." She gave him a look of pity before speaking.
"I would love to try and convince you to stay, but it's no longer my job. Jay is leader now, and Shadow is his deputy. If you want to discuss leaving, you'll have to bring it up with them." She have him a sweet smile, one that he wasn't used to. He smiled back and headed over to the two cats she was gesturing to. Before he left, he looked back at her.
"I hope that when I come back, one of your kits will become my apprentice." He laughed and continued walking away, leaving her dumbfounded, her jaw dropping the slightest bit.
It was quite easy to tell who Jay was, considering the way he carried himself gave it away faster than he could blink. Ravengaze tried to seem tough, but he knew he was failing miserably, so he just gave up and waited until the tom noticed him.
When Jay looked at him and flicked his tail to show that he was listening, Ravengaze mustered up as much confidence as he could and began to speak. "So, it really doesn't matter to me that you're the new leader-" He was cut off in the most rude manner by Jay.
"Because you're leaving. Such a pity. Now I won't be able to get my claws on you. Oh well, I'll get you one day. Now, tell me, Ravengaze, why you want to leave." The black tom froze as Jay spoke his name. It was a hiss, but what he didn't understand was how he knew his name.
              "I'm just not cut out to be a member of this Clan anymore. I'm just a mistake." Jay nodded his head, as if he understood the tom's problems within the Clan. After a moment of silence, Jay smiled and spoke.
              "Very well then. I do hope you decide to come back. Do come and visit, will you?" Ravengaze narrowed his eyes at the tom and slowly backed out of camp, making a run for it as he made it out and skidded over leaves and fallen branches. He was leaving his Clan in danger, but they were no longer his Clan. He had no home. He would have to make his own home, hunt his own prey, fight his own battles, be his own company. It would be a tough life, but if it led to him being away from Jay and Shadow, it would be worth it.
              The tom's muscles ripples under his thin pelt as he slowed to a stop. Now what? He was so used to staying in Clan territory. He would have to leave the safe place he used to call home. A small smile leaked onto his lips as he realized he could explore the outside of the territory that he was never allowed on. Looking back and forth—for who knows what—Ravengaze ran out past the border and laughed, his black figure barely visible as he raced through the trees, memorizing everything around him in the blink of an eye.
              As he joyously laughed and giggled in his newfound freedom, he forgot to look where he was going and ran headfirst into a cat. He got up, shaking out his fur and looking for the cat he ran into. He spotted her a couple of fox-lengths away, in a pile of leaves that blended into her thick brown pelt. She got to her paws, shaking the leaves out of her fur and padding over to him, a smile playing at her lips and a mischievous glint in her eyes.
              "So, now that you're free, you can just run into cats without a care in the world?" She asked, joking. Ravengaze was taken aback by her playful nature and struggled to find words.
              "Um, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were-" he was cut off as he saw her laughing. "Oh. I see, now." He laughed along with her, not quite sure what they were laughing about, but figuring it would be better to make friends with the she-cat than to make enemies with her.
              After their laugh was over, the she-cat looked at him, her amber eyes shining liquid gold. "My name is Apple, and I'm a loner. You're Ravengaze, a Clan cat who just recently left his Clan. I've been watching you—well, my sister has, at the least. Come with me; I think you're gonna like what you see." She smiled, flicking her tail to show him the way to go. Uncertainly, he padded after her, putting more of his trust in her as the two cats walked farther away from his Clan, and closer to the place he would soon call home.

A/N||
HEY GUYS! I know I haven't been updating, but this is my new favorite chapter, FOR SO MANY REASONS. I'm updating this right before I go to bed, so this author's note won't be long, but I do hope you enjoy this, and keep an eye out for more chapters coming out soon! Thank you for reading, voting, commenting, and sharing, and I hope to see you soon!
Love Ya,
Vanessa💕